It is well known to use disposable wipes for infant care and also for domestic cleaning purposes. Existing wipes are typically pre-moistened sheets of material, made, for example, from viscose, polypropylene or cotton fibres. The sheet of material is usually moistened with an aqueous composition which may contain ingredients such as an anti-bacterial agent, oil or a scent, depending on the intended use for the wipe. The known wipes can be stored and used without the sheet material breaking down. However, the stability of the wipe makes it difficult for the wipe to be safely disposed of by flushing to the sewer. Known wipes must be disposed of in a bin, which may not be hygienic or convenient for a user. It has been found that, when known wipes are flushed away, they may pass out of the toilet bowl, but remain caught within the pipes of a plumbing system. For example, it is common for known wipes to catch on any rough surface or snag within a sewer pipe and remain there to block further matter passing through the pipe and this can lead to a blockage of the sewer pipe.
Indeed, in recent years, representatives from the Water Industry have become concerned about the disposal of inappropriate items to a sewer. This concern has resulted in the UK Water Industry developing a standard protocol to assess individual products, to better understand if they are appropriate for disposal to sewer and whether disposal in this way is sustainable. The protocol includes a disintegration test, used to establish if items disposed of to the sewer network will break down in the drainage, so as not to contribute to blockages.
The disintegration test includes a laboratory based procedure designed to replicate conditions in drains and involves a sample of test product being agitated in a flask of water on an orbital shaker at a specified frequency for a specified time. This is followed by rinsing of the sample through a sieve of a specified perforation, to remove material that has separated from the sample, followed by drying and weighing of the sample. For a sample to pass the test, the sample must start to disintegrate into pieces smaller than 12.5 mm in diameter, following 3 hours of agitation in water in a shaking flask test. At least 50% of the product must break up into pieces of no greater than 12.5 mm diameter within three hours. The remaining pieces should also show a degree of break up, into pieces having a maximum length of 25 mm in their largest dimension
Disposable wipes are used by ostomy patients to clean the area around their stoma at the time of removing and disposing of an ostomy bag. Developments in ostomy appliances have led to ostomy bags and liners, which can be hygienically flushed to the sewer. Ostomy bag users also require a cleaning wipe that can be flushed away without the risk of causing a blockage to a drain or sewer pipe.
Known wipes include fabrics which are sensitive to ionic strength to assist breakdown of the material, but there still remains a need for a wipe that is strong enough to be stored and used for cleaning, whilst also being suitable for flushing to the sewer.
The present invention sets out to provide a wipe which is strong enough to be stored and used for cleaning, and which can be flushed away and alleviates one or more of the problems discussed above.